MANY WOMEN WON'T TAKE THE HORMONE FOR FEAR OF CANCER. COULD NEW DESIGNER DRUGS BE THE ANSWER?

Evelyn Levin, a sixtysomething artist in New York's Westchester County, had a tough decision to make. The bones in her hips, thighs and spine were losing mass. But Levin, whose mother also suffered from the general weakening of the bones known as osteoporosis, didn't want to take estrogen. Although the hormone can reverse the bone-weakening process, it may also increase the risk of breast cancer. So Levin volunteered for a study of an experimental drug called raloxifene, which may confer most of the benefits of estrogen therapy without the risks. Although her doctors won't tell her whether she's on the drug...